Starting from the 1993’s album Songs of Faith and Devotion , the most famous Basildon diaspora known as Depeche Mode releases their albums every four years, mostly in spring time. Martin Gore, Dave Gahan and Andrew Fletcher continue with a solid form on Spirit, their new release that is less about esotheria and more about politics. Depeche Mode and politics? It sound much better than you might think.
Although the vast majority of the songs was written before Brexit and election of Donald Trump, these events came in handy for the topics the guys have already covered on this record. Depeche Mode have decided to take responsibility and ask the question about the direction in which our society is going. The society is going backwards, straight to the cave, as David, Martin and Andrew are noting in opening track Going Backwards. Sidenote: this might be my personal favorite.
In a recent interview for Wall Street Journal, Gahan accentuated that the album is not political, even though it is predominantly filled with political themes. He said that the mission of Spirit is to bring awareness to the listener and help him find his place in this world with decadent axiology. Meaning, Depeche Mode are trying to help you build the appropriate system of values.
The second song, called Where’s The Revolution, was circling around and it is not a good choice for the second single, no matter how attached everyone is to the notion of revolution. The Worst Crime is both calm and worrying at the same time as it’s lyrics dive deeper into the deconstruction of alternative facts, political leaders, general apathy and uneducated votes. Depeche Mode claim that we are all responsible for the worst crime – treachery. Music and lyrics are highly congruent on The Worst Crime, so the song demands your attention.
Interpretative conviction disappears on Scum, as it sound as a songwriting exercise due to its banal lyrics. However, the song is excellent compared to You Move that is as vacant the heart of a psychopath. Cover Me might be the best song on the album, a dreamy fantasy about the romantic relationship that provides a necessary break from the political discourse.
So Much Love resembles Question of Time way too much. Although it is impossible not to see structural similarities that Gore practices, I expected just a bit more of out-of-comfort-zone practice. Eternal could have easily been moved from the record, but compensatory culmination comes with Poison Heart, an electro-ambient track signed by Gahan.
